The not so final countdown —

Windows 7 given a reprieve of sorts to extend OEM sales

October 30, 2014 is no longer the cut off date—well, at least for now.

Microsoft updated its Windows lifecycle table last week, quietly announcing that OEMs would have to cease preinstalling Windows 7 on new systems by October 30, 2014. Retail boxed copies of the operating system have already ceased, ending on October 30 of this year.

But the company has now removed that 2014 date, claiming that it was a mistake. The date is now "to be determined." The issued statement about the mistake reads:

We have yet to determine the end of sales date for PCs with Windows 7 preinstalled. The October 30, 2014 date that posted to the Windows Lifecycle page globally last week was done so in error. We have since updated the website to note the correct information; however, some non-English language pages may take longer to revert to correctly reflect that the end of sales date is 'to be determined.' We apologize for any confusion this may have caused our customers. We’ll have more details to share about the Windows 7 lifecycle once they become available."

This of course leaves open the possibility that the October 30, 2014 date could by the cut-off.

As things stand, Windows 7 is still due to leave mainstream support on January 13, 2015, giving Windows 7 systems just a few months of full support. Extended support—which for the most part means "security fixes"—is due to run until January 14, 2020.

More pressing is the end of Windows XP's extended support, which is still due to terminate on April 8, 2014.